Load Factor

[mikhe]

Could someone explain to me the deffinition of Load Fatcor and what we would use the data for.

My question refers to a sentence in a genset manual which says "Prime duty refers to operation in island mode with a fluctuating load where average load factor is 75%"

 

[Walden]

Load factor gives an indication of the way that a piece of plant is being used. It is defined as the average load divided by the peak load. If the Load Factor is 100% the plant is being run flat-out all the time it is switched on. If the Load Factor is 25% then most of the time the plant is running well below its peak output and only occasionally runs at its maximum output. I believe that your genset manufacturers are saying that you should run the generator at 75% of its maximum output all the time with occasional 100% output to obtain the maximum service life.